The Best Players From Each State (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, & Arizona)

If you’ve ever been to places like Texas or South Carolina, you know what I mean when I say … some people are VERY proud of their home state. Some might even say, a little TOO proud? But, that’s neither here nor there. The purpose of the next series of posts will be to highlight the best players from each of the 50 states in the USA. It will be based on the state the player was born in, so there may be some argument from those who know that a player graduated from high school in a state that was different from his birth state. Be that as it may, we will begin today with all of the A’s.

Alabama

The state of Alabama has produced a surprising number of major league players, and several Hall of Famers. Even a couple of the more dominant pitchers of this era can trace their roots to the Yellowhammer State – Corey Kluber and Craig Kimbrel. But, let’s take a moment to appreciate just how many names are on plaques in Cooperstown from a state known more for college football…

Hank Aaron. That’s right. The man who holds the all-time record for RBI, total bases, and legitimate home runs is the runner up. I think if he’d been born in pretty much any of the other 49 states, he would be #1 in that state. But, it just so happens that Hank Aaron was born in the same state as…

Willie Mays – Yes Aaron has more career HR and RBI than Mays. But, did you know Aaron also has about 1500 more plate appearances? The equivalent of more than two years’ worth of playing time. And, Mays missed the entire 1953 season, serving in the military, which was right at the prime of his career. These two players have nearly identical career batting numbers, with Aaron having the slight edge in batting avg. (.305 to .302), while Mays has the edge in OBP (.384 to .374). And, even though Aaron has the lead in HR, Mays has the higher SLG. For me, it came down to speed and awards. Mays stole 338 bases, compared to Aaron’s 240. It was also Mays’ speed that allowed him to play an amazing CF, and win 12 Gold Gloves at one of the most important positions on the field. Mays also won ROY and 2 MVPs, while Aaron won just one MVP. What a crazy choice to have to make right off the bat! I have a feeling it will only get easier from here.

Alaska

Not surprisingly, the largest state in our country has actually produced very few major league ballplayers. Only 12 players to don a professional baseball jersey were born in “The Last Frontier.” And, of those twelve, only one is currently on a major league team’s 40-man roster (Tony Barnette – Chicago Cubs). The most prolific batter to come from Alaska was Josh Phelps, who really only spent about 5 seasons at the major league level, primarily with the Blue Jays. He showed some promise as a rookie, winning AL rookie of the month in August and September of 2002. But, he never produced as a consistent major league player.

Which leaves us with pitching options, and the obvious choice for the best player from Alaska …

Curt Schilling – In my opinion, this Anchorage native belongs in the Hall of Fame. Considering his contributions to two different World Series teams, including co-MVP of the 2001 champion Diamondbacks, he belongs in the Hall. But, for now, he can claim the title of greatest from the state of Alaska. With 216 wins, 3,116 strikeouts, 6 All-Star appearances, and three runner-up finishes in the Cy Young, Schilling stands out head and shoulders above the rest.

Arkansas

The Natural State has probably produced more quality baseball players than you would expect, considering the size of the state. Even among those who aren’t enshrined in Cooperstown, there are some very good players here: Torii Hunter, Preacher Roe (a fellow alum of my alma mater), Cliff Lee, Rick Monday, A.J. Burnett, and Johnny Sain.

Six Hall of Famers hail from Arkansas, including Dizzy Dean, Travis Jackson, Arky Vaughan, George Kell, and Brooks Robinson. It turns out that not picking Robinson here was every bit as difficult as not picking Aaron in Alabama. Robinson won 16 Gold Gloves at 3B, an MVP in ’64, two World Series championships with the Orioles in ’66 and ’70, and was the World Series MVP in ’70. But, as impressive as those numbers are, I have to give the nod to…

Lou Brock – I would dare to say that both Brock and Robinson’s careers are remembered primarily for one particularly amazing skill. Robinson for his defense at third, and Brock for his ability to steal bases. And since these two men set the gold standard in those categories (two categories that are impossible to compare), the decision had to come down to something that could be compared. And, when you compare overall offensive production, Brock comes out on top. He has more hits than Robinson (3,023), more doubles and more triples, in spite of having about 500 fewer plate appearances. Brock has the higher batting average, OBP, SLG, and OPS.

Arizona

I was shocked by the numbers I saw from the state of Arizona. Alabama and Arkansas rank 24th and 33rd, respectively, in the nation in population. Both have produced a large number of high-quality, and even Hall of Fame worthy baseball players. So, when I turned to Arizona, knowing that it is the 14th largest state by population, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that there have only been 115 players to even come from this state – only 8 of whom have even appeared in a single All-Star game.

Choosing the best player produced by The Grand Canyon State was actually quite easy. He has more All-Star Game appearances (4), hits (1,998), 2B (416), 3B (41), HR (256), RBI (907), and stolen bases (243) than anyone else. And, since he is an active player, his claim as the greatest from Arizona should hold up for a while (or, so one might think). For now, I give you…

Ian Kinsler – in addition to his offensive production, Kinsler, born in Tucson, has won two Gold Gloves. But, how long will his numbers remain at the top? Because lurking not far behind him, with just 3 years under his belt is …. Cody Bellinger.